Heel lift



W. H. KLEIN Jan. 22, 1963 HEEL LIFT Filed Fb. 12, 1962 INVENTOR.

William H. Klein j $7WA% HIS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,074,187 HEEL LIFT William H. Klein, 810 East End Ave, Pittsburgh, Pa. Filed Feb. 12, 1962, Ser. No. 172,546 4 Claims. (Cl. 36-42) This invention relates to a shoe heel construction and particularly, to a construction employing a replaceable lift, tap tip or tread.

So-called spike heels for womens shoes may vary be tween extremely high,, medium, and lower types, but all have the characteristic of having a relatively narrow lower portion. It has been customary to provide a nail type of replaceable tip, tap or lift for a heel of this type which is driven into a bore extending along the heel. Since the lift has only a limited period of life, it is then necessary for the shoe repairman to pull-out the worn-off lift and replace it with a new one. This is a tedious and diflicult task, and there is always the danger of breaking-off or damaging the heel, itself. In larger repair shops, special pull machines are used for this purpose. In addition, the replacement of heel lifts causes wear and tear on the bore of the heel and tends to produce looseness of fit.

Various types of heel lifts have been devised but, at the present time, it is customary to use the so-called drivenin nail type that has a lift or tip portion carried by the head of the nail. The use of split sleeves, spring arrangements, etc. have not been found to be satisfactory, not only because of the expense involved in their construction, but because difiiculty is involved in providing a secure retention of the inserted tip or lift when the shoe is being worn. Heretofore, in addition, prior devices for eliminating the conventional nail type of securing means have required the use of an enlarged bore in the heel which is disadvantageous in tending to weaken the heel and in limiting the size of the heel to which the device may be applied.

I have made a thorough study and evaluation of the factors involved in order to devise a new construction for a heel lift which will eliminate the disadvantageous features of prior constructions, but will have the advantages of simplicity, of minimum size of heel bore, and inexpensiveness of the presently-used nail type of construction, but which will, in addition, eliminate the difiiculties encountered in the utilization of the latter type of construction.

It has thus been an object of my invention to provide an improved heel lift construction and particularly, to devise one that can compete from the standpoint of practicability and simplicity, etc. with the presently-used nail type of construction;

Another object of my invention has been to provide a heel lift construction which will eliminate the difficulties encountered in inserting and removing a nail type and will, at the same time, enable a reinforcing of the heel in its utilization;

A further object of my invention has been to devise a lift for a shoe heel which is provided with an integral or continuous sleeve-like reinforcing part that may be permanently mounted therein but, at the same time, which may be formed separately from the heel and serve to provide an improved mode of replacing a worn-off heel lift, tip or tap;

These and other objects of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the illustrated embodiment and the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a section in elevation through a low spike type of heel to which my novel lift construction has been applied; this is substantially a full scale view;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged view in elevation ice :5 through a lift assembly of my construction and showing the heel as broken away for clarity;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to and on the scale of FIGURE 2, showing a post part of the assembly of FIG- URE 2 turned 99 the lower portion of the post part has been broken away to show its threaded bore construction;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section of the assembly on the scale of and taken along the line IV-IV of FIGURE 2;

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are horizontal sections on the scale of FIGURE 2 and respectively taken along the lines V-V, VIVl, and VIIVII of such figure;

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal section on a further enlarged scale and taken along the line Vlll-VIII of FIGURE 3;

And, FIGURE 9 is a top plan view on the scale of FIGURE 2 of a lift part of the construction.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, for the purpose of illustration, I have shown a low type of heel, for example, of two inches in height, utilizing the construction of my invention. The heel It} may be of a relatively hard material, such as of wood, a pressuremolded composition or a resin in the nature of cellulose acetate, etc. which is provided with a central, longitudinal or vertical bore wall ltla by conventional methods, such as by boring out, or by forming the heel about a removable spike.

The bore llla may be of uniform cylindrical shape along the major portion of its length and tapered toward its upper end to somewhat generally conform to the outer shape of a post part 12 which is to be securely mounted therein. The post part 12 will be of a length and diameter somewhat corresponding to the length and outer diameter of a conventional, drive-in, solid nail part heretofore used in a heel tip or lift construction. As illustrated, the post part 12 has a lower end face or edge 12b that is smooth or planar and, along the major extent of the surface of its length or main body, has a circumferentially spacedapart group of longitudinally or vertically extending ribs 14 which, as shown in FEGURE 8, define grooves therebetween.

The cylindrical diameter of the groove portions between the ribs 14 will substantially correspond to the inner diameter of the bore Itla, so that when the part 12 is driven into the heel 1d, side serrations of its ribs will form their own cuts longitudinally of the bore to securely hold the part 12 in place therein. It will be noted that the ribs lid are of only slightly larger diameter than the grooves and may, as shown in FIGURE 8, be of fluted construction to provide an opposed pair of drive-in cutting edges or serrations. As shown particularly in FIGURE 4, the forward or terminating end portions Ma of the serrated or fluted ribs 14 of the main body portion of the post 12 are beveled radially-forwardly to provide chisellike driving-in ends for the ribs.

The post part has a pointed or cone-shaped drive-in end portion 13 and an intermediate or head portion 15. The head portion 15 is shown of cylindrical shape and has a reduced diameter with respect to the outer diameter of the grooves between ribs 14; it is provided with integral latch lug means thereon in the form of a pair of diametrically-opposed, radially-projecting, integral lugs la. The radial extent or thickness of each lug 16' substantially corresponds to the difierence between the outer diameter of the head portion 15 and the outer diameter of the ribs 14, so that the outer face of each lug 16 lies on substantially the same cylindrical outer diameter as the central portion (between serrations) of the ribs I14 Each lug 16 has a forwardly-pointed driving end portion 16a and a pair of opposed sides 16b and 16d. It will be noted that, as shown particularly in FIGURE 2, the side 1612 is substantially longer or wider than the side 16d and, as a result, the back end is of wedge-shape. By providing a side lei; of greater extent, a maximum or locking resistance to turning of the part 12 is provided within the bore wall ltla as, for example, when a tap or lift part is being tightened down.

A lift part of my construction, as shown, has a head, lift or tip portion 17 of somewhat resilient or shockabsorbing material, such as rubber, plastic, resin, or leather, that is mounted on an embedded tab head portion 19 of a pin 18. The pin 18 has outer or male threads that are adapted to cooperatively engage with female threads provided along a longitudinal bore portion 12a of the post part 12, so that the pin 18 may be easily screwed in and out of position with respect to and within the post part 12.

By way of example, the threaded bore 12a for the type of heel shown in FIGURE 1 may be about one inch in length, where the pin 18 is of about or A; inch in length, and where the overall length of the post part 12 is about 1 /2 or 1% inches. It is thus apparent that the internally-threaded bore 12:: which is open to the planar edge or lower end face 12b of the part 12 does not extend more than about one-half the total length of the part 12, but is of considerable length to provide a better holding action of the pin 18 when it is screwed into position.

The head, tip or lift portion 17 is shown provided on its upper or inner face 17a with a series of cross-cuts or grooves in a spaced relation with each other to make it corrugated or to define a somewhat ribbed face. This construction provides a tight, screw-down, compressionfit, locking action between the upper face of the portion 17 and the bottom face 12b of the post 12 and the substantially flush lower end face it?!) of the heel, itself. The resiliency of the material of 1'7, in eifect, in combination with the ribbing or grooves of 17a, provides a distortion-compression type of friction fit which is highly advantageous in preventing an inadvertent loosening of the lift part (consisting of portions 17 and 19) during the wearing of the shoe.

To assure a secure tightened-down action, as previously intimated, the lugs 16 which serve as latching or locking lugs, strongly resist any turning action of the post 12 during the tightening-down of the pin 18 and its head, tip or lift portion 17. As previously noted, a maximum contacting surface 16b is provided on each lug 16 in the direction of the tightening-down force. The post 12 may be driven into the bore a to become a permanent reinforcing part of the heel 1t? and, if desired, may also be cemented in place. As shown, the bottom face 12]) of the post 12 lies substantially flush with the corresponding bottom face 1% of the heel 10 to provide a maximum or full planar contact area for the tip or head portion 17 of the removable lift part.

What I claim is:

1. In a detachable lift construction for a shoe heel having a bore wall extending longitudinally from its lower end, a sleeve-like longitudinally-extending post to be securely positioned within the bore wall and extend therealong to reinforce the heel, said post having an outer shape generally corresponding to the bore wall and having a main body portion provided with longitudinal serrations along its outer surface to cut into the bore wall when driven therein, said post having a threaded bore wall extending longitudinally from its lower end, said post having an ofiset head portion connected to said main body portion and provided with an inwardly-oifset diameter with respect thereto and terminating in a drive-end portion, locking lug means projecting radially from said head portion to substantially the outer diameter of said main body portion, said lug means having a forwardly-sloped drivein end portion and a widened side portion therealong,

7 portion in abutment with the lower end of the heel, and

said lift portion having a corrugated upper surface for compression-holding engagement with the lower end of the heel.

2. In a detachable lift construction for a shoe heel having a bore wall extending longitudinally from its lower end face, a longitudinally-extending post to securely fit within the bore and reinforce the heel, said post having a smooth substantially planar lower end face to align with the lower end face of the heel when said post is positioned within the bore Wall thereof, said post having a threaded bore extending longintudinally-upwardly from its lower end face and having a body surface portion extendingfrom its lower end face and provided with flutes to engage and cut into the bore wall, said post having a drive head portion of solid section extending longitudinally from said body surface portion, rotation-resisting lug means on said drive head portion, a lift having a threaded 'pin adapted to engage with and to be removably secured within the threaded bore of said post, said lift at its lower end carrying a tip portion, said tip portion having an upper face to latch-engage with the lower end faces of the heel and said post when said threaded pin is tightened-down within said threaded bore, and said lug means having a portion to resist turning movement of said post within the bore wall when said tip portion is tightened-down.

3. In a detachable lift construction for a shoe heel having a bore wall extending longitudinally from its lower end face, a serrated post to be securely-driven into the bore wall and provide a permanent reinforcing part of the heel, said post having a lower end face to substantially align with the lower end face of the heel when said post is in its securely driven position within the bore Wall, said post having an internally-threaded bore open to its lower end face and extending longitudinally and substantially halfway therealong, a lift having a tip portion and an externally-threaded pin portion for removably-threadably-engaging within said threaded bore, and said tip portion having a distortable upper face to securely hold said lift in a mounted position with respect to said post when said threaded pin portion is in secure engagement with the threaded bore thereof, and said post having radially-projecting latching lug means thereon to engage the bore wall and resist turning movement of said post when said lift is being tightened down with respect to said post.

4. In a detachable lift construction as defined in claim 3 wherein said post has a portion of reduced outer. diameter thereon, and said lug means comprisesa pair of radially-outwardly-projecting diametrically-opposed lugs on said reduced portion, and each of said lugs has a lengthened face along one side thereof to resist turning movement of said post within the bore wall when said lift portion is being tightened-down.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,546,105 McCarron et al Mar. 20, 1951 2,935,800 ROHCi May 10, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 879,761 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1961 

1. IN A DETACHABLE LIFT CONSTRUCTION FOR A SHOE HEEL HAVING A BORE WALL EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM ITS LOWER END, A SLEEVE-LIKE LONGITUDINALLY-EXTENDING POST TO BE SECURELY POSITIONED WITHIN THE BORE WALL AND EXTEND THEREALONG TO REINFORCE THE HEEL, SAID POST HAVING AN OUTER SHAPE GENERALLY CORRESPONDING TO THE BORE WALL AND HAVING A MAIN BODY PORTION PROVIDED WITH LONGITUDINAL SERRATIONS ALONG ITS OUTER SURFACE TO CUT INTO THE BORE WALL WHEN DRIVEN THEREIN, SAID POST HAVING A THREADED BORE WALL EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM ITS LOWER END, SAID POST HAVING AN OFFSET HEAD PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID MAIN BODY PORTION AND PROVIDED WITH AN INWARDLY-OFFSET DIAMETER WITH RESPECT THERETO AND TERMINATING IN A DRIVE-END PORTION, LOCKING LUG MEANS PROJECTING RADIALLY FROM SAID HEAD PORTION TO SUBSTANTIALLY THE OUTER DIAMETER OF SAID MAIN BODY PORTION, SAID LUG MEANS HAVING A FORWARDLY-SLOPED DRIVEIN END PORTION AND A WIDENED SIDE PORTION THEREALONG, SAID WIDENED SIDE PORTION BEING CONSTRUCTED TO LATCHENGAGE WITH THE BORE WALL AND RESIST TURNING MOVEMENT OF SAID POST THEREWITHIN, A TIP ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RESILIENT LIFT PORTION AND A MOUNTING PIN PORTION HAVING A HEAD SECURELY EMBEDDED WITHIN SAID LIFT PORTION, SAID PIN PORTION BEING EXTERNALLY-THREADED TO THREADABLY ENGAGE WITHIN THE THREADED BORE OF SAID POST AND DETACHABLY-SECURE SAID LIFT PORTION IN ABUTMENT WITH THE LOWER END OF THE HEEL, AND SAID LIFT PORTION HAVING A CORRUGATED UPPER SURFACE FOR COMPRESSION-HOLDING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LOWER END OF THE HEEL. 